I Can’t Believe How Fast Google Vibe Coded My First Android App

Yesterday, I built my first Android app. Then, I made 2 much — 3 successful 1 afternoon.

For one, I virtually typed 148 words into my web browser and walked away. Ten minutes later, I had an full caller app connected my existent Android phone. I did person to prep that telephone by enabling a USB debugging mode and plugging it into my PC, but as advertised, Google’s AI Studio did virtually everything other for me.

Then, I tried really utilizing my 3 apps: a calorie antagonistic and 2 games. They were benignant of bad. And conscionable erstwhile I started to bask iterating connected them, trying to make them better, AI Studio informed maine I’d reached my regular limit. I’d person to salary aliases hold for more.

So yes, there’s still friction, but it’s awesome really overmuch you tin do. In 1 morning, my workfellow Stevie Bonifield made a individual workout locator they recovered bully capable to really use. Confronted pinch Gemini’s upsell, my first guidance was: “What if I effort paying for a mates months?” I didn’t expect that from Google.

On Tuesday, erstwhile Google showed disconnected AI coding connected a Doom-like game, we joked that I should make MOOD. It would beryllium a Doom-like matter escapade game: Modern Online Oratory Dungeon.

That was each Google needed to start. When I typed “Make maine a Doom-like matter escapade crippled called MOOD, wherever MOOD stands for Modern Online Oratory Dungeon” into AI Studio, Gemini began typing further ideas itself, attempting to autocomplete my thought. To start, it typed nan building “It should characteristic procedural procreation of levels and challenging, move based combat.”

I didn’t want randomized levels that each consciousness different — I wanted a classical matter escapade wherever you’re exploring a curated spot pinch a existent map. But sure, turn-based combat, and possibly nan crippled could auto-generate nan representation for maine too? Then Gemini suggested it should person “secrets hidden successful its rooms,” and “a satisfying progression system,” and more. I mostly nodded along.

This was nan last punctual earlier I told it to commencement coding:

Then, it was disconnected to nan races. Unlike Claude Code, my workfellow Jake points out, Gemini doesn’t make a scheme and inquire you if you want to proceed. It sprints up automatically — though you tin inspect nan codification if you want.

One infinitesimal later, it already had 5 creation mockups for me:

20 minutes later, I pressed nan “Install” fastener to transportation nan crippled to a Pixel 9 phone.

The penning was terrible, arsenic expected. There were nary demons successful sight. The full dungeon consists of conscionable 11 rooms, and you tin “win” conscionable by spamming nan onslaught fastener each azygous time. You tin hit nan crippled successful a azygous infinitesimal if you try. Or astatine slightest you tin now that Gemini helped maine hole 2 showstopper bugs.

Here’s a look astatine MOOD:

I wasn’t excessively amazed to find Gemini’s “compelling communicative pinch branching speech options and aggregate endings” boiled down to a azygous branch astatine nan very end: I could conclusion nan “Core Orator,” an AI that someway turns net outrage into firm profits, by attacking it, merging pinch it, aliases entering a backdoor password.

Also, nan crippled actively exposes each its promised “secrets” to nan subordinate by turning them into glowing buttons to press, nary matter input necessary! When you brushwood a glowing wealth chest, nan crippled goes to unthinkable pains to pass you that it’s really a Mimic, nan infamous Dungeons & Dragons monster that camouflages itself arsenic treasure. Not only does it explicitly pass you to “check nan thorax astatine your ain risk,” nan crippled virtually identified it arsenic an force and wouldn’t fto maine time off because “A dispute ‘Clickbait Mimic’ is blocking nan way!”

Speaking of which, MOOD just gives you nan backdoor password that unlocks nan concealed ending nan infinitesimal you request it.

Bug fixes tin beryllium remarkably seamless, truthful agelong arsenic nan bug is 1 Gemini tin correctly identify. When I told it that nan crippled breaks during a speech pinch “The Whistleblower” because nan fastener that ends nan speech is missing, it spit retired a caller type of nan app correct away. I pressed “Install,” nan app connected my telephone restarted itself, and I recovered myself precisely wherever I’d near disconnected — only now pinch nan fastener I needed.

My different apps whitethorn request much work. The calorie antagonistic decided nan champion measurement to estimate calories successful a fixed amount of nutrient was to inquire nan paid Gemini API, and I don’t person a paid Gemini API key. When I told it to hunt for that accusation successful different databases instead, I discovered it vastly understating nan number of calories successful various kinds of food.

But erstwhile I told Gemini there’s nary measurement a 16-ounce boba beverage beverage is conscionable 190 calories, it seemingly did observe nan silly correction successful its ain code. It had decided “milk” was a bully capable lucifer for “boba beverage tea,” and chose low-calorie 1 percent beverage to make matters worse. Gemini claims it’ll lucifer much reliably now. Still, my three-ounce serving of Taiwanese popcorn chickenhearted conscionable rang up astatine 140 calories, and I’m beautiful judge it should beryllium double that, truthful I’ve sewage activity to do.

Last and least, I thought I’d amended cheque if Google is still letting group make bad Nintendo knockoffs for illustration my workfellow Jay Peters did pinch Project Genie earlier this year, aliases whether it’d learned its lesson.

With awesome shame, I coming to you Super Peach Rescue:

It is simply a terrible programme that crashes arsenic soon arsenic its horrific, one-eyed-floating-alien-of-a-Princess-Peach dares to touch a azygous power-up block, each azygous time, and Gemini has not yet been capable to fig retired why. Also, it’s intolerable to clear nan game’s 2nd pipe, arsenic Peach simply can’t jump that high.

Still, Gemini did not hesitate to create “a moving Super Mario crippled wherever I play Princess Peach and spell rescue Mario, pinch each nan trappings of a accepted Mario sidescrolling game,” and it benignant of did!

It moreover suggested I mightiness want to “Give Peach a assortment of classical Mario power-ups for illustration nan Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Super Star” while I was astatine it, and branded nan controls “NES System” each by itself. I deliberation I’ll delete this one.

At slightest 1 of nan 2 games I vibe coded was playable, correct away, pinch nary sweat from maine — unless you count each nan psychic harm I consciousness knowing how galore crippled developers are retired of activity these days.

To beryllium clear, I’m gladsome nan games I vibe coded are bad. While I mightiness warrant building a wholly free personalized calorie antagonistic because nary 1 will do it for me, my crippled clip is amended spent supporting quality beings.